1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a doorway jumper apparatus, and more particularly to a mounting bracket for a doorway jumper apparatus used by babies, infants, toddlers, and small children.
2. Description of Related Art
Baby swings, bouncers, jumpers, and the like, that hang in a doorway or from the ceiling are well known in the prior art. Examples include the The First Years®—Pooh Bouncing Tigger Seat, Johnny Jump-up™ Baby Exerciser, Graco Bumper Jumper®, Twist 'n Shout™, and the suspended motor-skill training apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,024. The First Years® is a registered trademark of The First Years, Inc. Johnny Jump-up™ is a trademark of Evanflo Company, Inc. Bumper Jumper® is a registered trademark of Graco Children's Products, Inc. Twist 'n Shout™ is a trademark of Graco Children's Products, Inc.
FIG. 1 shows a doorway jumper 10 as known in the prior art. The doorway jumper 10 includes a seat 17 and straps 16 attached between seat 17 and spring housing assembly 15. The spring housing assembly 15 includes an internal spring attached to strap 14. Strap 14 is attached to clamp 12. Clamp 12 includes spring 13 so that clamp contacts 11 press against the wall to which the clamp 12 is attached.
FIG. 2 shows a front view of a door opening 20. The wall 21 may be made of drywall, plaster, wood paneling, or the like. The molding 22 is placed around the door opening 20 to cover gaps between the door opening 20 and the wall 21. The doorway jumper 10 hangs from the top of the door opening 20 with the clamp 12 typically attached to the wall 21 in the wall area 23 above the molding 22. A baby, infant, toddler, or a small child, herein termed “infant,” may be placed into the seat 17 of the doorway jumper 10, thereby allowing the infant to be held aloft in the door opening 20. The straps 14, 16 of the doorway jumper 10 are adjusted such that the infant may be held aloft in the door area 20 such that the infant may make contact with the floor with his/her feet. The infant may then jump up and down or swing in the door opening 20.
As the infant moves in the door opening 20, the clamp contacts 11 may slide up, down, or sideways, or otherwise move around in the wall area 23. As the clamp contacts 11 move around in the wall area 23, portions of the wall 21 in the wall area 23 may be damaged. The clamp contacts 11 may strip off paint or dent or scratch the wall 21 in the wall area 23. In addition, if the clamp contacts move enough towards an edge of the vertical door jambs, an infant in the doorway jumper 10 may strike an edge of the vertical door jambs with a part of his/her body, thus possibly injuring the infant. Furthermore, if the infant makes sufficient jarring motions, the clamp 12 of the doorway jumper 10 may itself twist such that the clamp 12 detaches from the wall 21 in the wall area 23, thereby causing the infant to fall to the floor and possibly resulting in the infant being struck by the clamp 12 of the doorway jumper 10.
The Graco Bumper Jumper®, Twist 'n Shout™ product provides a clampless jumper apparatus for non-doorway areas by installing to the ceiling through a ceiling-mounted eye bolt. The Graco jumper apparatus provides strong support, however installing the jumper apparatus is difficult for the homeowner, and detaching the jumper apparatus from or attaching the jumper apparatus to the eye-bolt is difficult because it is at ceiling height.
Therefore a need exists for preventing the doorway jumper 10 from detaching from the wall 21 and for protecting the wall 21 in the wall area 23 from being damaged by the clamp contacts 11. In addition, a need exists for allowing the clamp-type doorway jumper 10 to be used in non-doorway areas, such as passageways in which there are exposed or wrapped beams. Furthermore, a need exists for a doorway jumper 10 that is easy to install and easy to attach or detach.